Does gum chewing affect the timing of return of intestinal motility after elective cesarean section?

Authors

  • Atef M. Darwish Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Woman's Health Hospital, Faculty of Medicine, Assiut University, Assiut, Egypt
  • Tarek A. Farghly Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Woman's Health Hospital, Faculty of Medicine, Assiut University, Assiut, Egypt
  • Beshoy T. Gad Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Assiut Hospital for Obstetrics, Gynecology and Pediatrics, Assiut, Egypt
  • Ahmed M. Abbas Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Woman's Health Hospital, Faculty of Medicine, Assiut University, Assiut, Egypt

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18203/2320-1770.ijrcog20185441

Keywords:

Cesarean section, Gum chewing, Intestinal motility

Abstract

Background: The aim is to evaluate the effect of gum chewing on the return of intestinal motility after elective CS.

Methods: Study period was from September 2017 to March 2018 at the Assiut Women Health University Hospital. The study was registered as a prospective cohort study (Clinicaltrial.gov   NCT03355378). Women planned for elective CS according to selection criteria randomized to two groups: Group 1: included 100 patients who received intraoperative and postoperative non-sugary gum chewing as 15 minutes every 2 hours post-operatively for 6 hours with regular care and Group 2: included 100 patients who received regular care without gum chewing.

Results: No statistically significant difference regarding the baseline criteria of both groups. There was a statistically significant lower systolic and diastolic blood pressure in gum chewing group. Hospital stay of gum chewing group was 7.33±0.73 hours versus in non-gum chewing group 20.28 ± 9.92 (p=0.000). Passage of flatus of gum chewing group was 8.54±0.98 hours versus in non-gum chewing group 13.22 ± 3.75 (P= 0.000).

Conclusions: Gum chewing during elective CS improves gut motility in a safe way resulting in early passage of flatus, less hospital stay, and minimal pain score less cost on hospitals.

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Published

2018-12-26

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Original Research Articles